Bow-facing oar.



No. 807,284. PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

G. M. KERRY.

BOW FACING OAR.

APPLIOATION FILED APB. 1'1, 1905.

WITNESSES: INI/E/VTOR W GEORGE M.KERRY ATTORNEYS No. 807,284. PATENTED DEC. 12, 1905.

G. M. KERRY.

BOW FACING OAR.

APPLICATION FILED 3.17. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

INVENTOR GEORGE M.KE RRY A TTOHNE YS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

BOW-FACING OAR- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 12, 1905.

Application filed April 17, 1905. Serial No. 255,953.

' To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE M. KERRY, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Boyne city, in the county of Gharlevoix and State of Michigan, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Bow-Facing Oars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in bowfacing oars; and it consists in certain novel constructions and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my invention secured to a boat-gunwale and with the-top plate removed. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal section. Fig. 3 is a perspective of the base-plate and itssupporting-yoke. Fig. 4 is a detail of the yoke, and Fig. 5 is a perspective of the gunwaleplate. Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 6 6 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a view of the top plate alone.

In carrying out my invention I provide oarfittings for a divided oar A, comprising a handle-section a, provided with a socket to receive the handle, and a blade-section a, provided with a wedge-shaped shank (4, upon which the blade is fished and secured by bolts through the perforations a", socketsa on either side of the shank receiving the ends of the fished blade. The adjacent ends of the sections are provided with gear-segments a a,

intermeshing with each other and journaled on arbors a a on a base-plate a of the form shown in Fig. 3. The base-plate a is provided on its lower face with a transverselyperforated depending lug a pivotally secured in the arms of a yoke a by a bolt a and by a nut a. A top plate a of the same general outline as the base a rests upon the arbors a; a and arbors a a and is secured to the base-plate by bolts o passing through the arbors and" engaged by nuts o on the lower face of the base-plate.

The yoke B, as shown in Fig. 5, comprises a body portion 6, having the ends cut away, as at I), to form a projecting rectangular portion 6 and depending from the lower face of the rectangular portion is the thole-pin 6 The body portion 6 of the yoke B rests in a groove 0 in the upper face of a gunwale-plate C, and the thole-pin 5 passes through a rectangular opening 0 in the bottom of the groove, shaped to receive the rectangular portion 6 of the yoke-body. The gunwale-plate C is provided with depending portions 0 c for engaging the gunwale E of the boat, and clamping-screws c secure the plate in place.

It is often desirable to convert the bow-facing oar into a stern-facing oar, and for this purpose I provide perforations d d in the handle and blade sections, which aline with perforations d d in the top and bottom plates, when the oar-sections are in the same straight line. Cotter-pins d 0Z secured to the base-plate a by chains 0Z 6Z7, engage the perforations to secure the sections in alinement.

In operation the gunwale-plate is clamped to the gunwale and the thole-pin is passed through the opening in the bottom of the groove and into the gunwale, the body portion of the yoke engaging the groove to prevent rotation of the plates. Moving the handlesections in the usual manner will produce a reverse movement of the blades. Dipping of the blade is permitted by the hinging of the plates to the yoke. When it is desired to convert the bow-facing into stern-facing cars, it is only necessary to remove the gunwale-plate and insert the cotter-pins.

By journaling the oar-sections on arbors 1 reduce the friction to a considerable extent and at the same time secure a stronger bearing and a more rigid horizontal alinement.

An important feature of my invention resides in the method of mounting the oar on the gunwale-plate. The connection while perfectly secure is broken merely by lifting the oar from the plate.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a bow-facing oar the combination of a casing comprising top and bottom plates, bolts connecting the plates, arbors on the bolts, and between the plates, a divided oar comprising blade and handle sections journaled on the arbors, gear-segments on the adjacent ends of the sections and intermeshing with each other, a transverse depending lug on the lower face of the lower plate, a yoke having arms engaging the endsof the lug, and pivoted thereto, a rectangular projection on the lower face of the body of the yoke, a thole-pin depending from the rectangular portion, a gunwaleplate, provided with a groove having an opening in the bottom thereof, to receive the body of the yoke and the rectangular projection, depending portions on the gunwale-plate for engaging the gunwale of a boat, clampinglower plate, a yoke comprising arms pivoted to the ends of the lug, and a body portion cut away to form a rectangular projection, a tholepin depending from the rectangular projection, a gunwale-plate provided with agroove having an opening in the bottom thereof and for seating the yoke-body and means for securing the gunWale-plate to the gunwale of a boat.

GEORGE M. KERRY. Witnesses:

S. C. SMITH, P. GULVIGE. 

